Touch
by seraph1612
Summary: Andie has just moved to MSA, and Chase Collins walks in on her private practice session. He offers to help... Chase/Andie
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Obviously, Step Up 2 and all of its associated characters, places, settings, etc. do not belong to me.

* * *

_**Touch**_

"Aaarggh!"

Andie slammed her hand against the mirrored walls running the length of the dance studio and exhaled angrily. She'd been attempting a double pirouette for about an hour now, and no matter what she did, she was just _not_ getting it. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes briefly, and then tried again, only to slip at the last moment, her feet tangling clumsily, as she toppled unceremoniously to the floor. On her back, staring up at the ceiling of the dance studio, Andie decided to quit before she seriously injured herself-the Streets was still coming up and she had to be fit enough to keep up with her crew. Besides, why should she kill herself just to fit in with the stupid technique they taught here? She was never going to be a prima ballerina, and Andie was just fine with that.

Lost in her reverie, she didn't notice the guy standing beside the door of the studio until the sound of clapping pulled her back to earth. Propping herself up on her elbows, she glanced over at the mystery guy, registered who it was and groaned theatrically, sliding back down to the floor in a defeated slump. "God, don't you have anyone else you can go and annoy?"

Chase Collins leaned back against the door, arms folded, the corners of his lips turned up in his trademark smirk. He placed a finger to his chin and pretended to think for a minute, answering her with a sly grin. "No, not really, and besides, no one else is …how can I phrase this… as _entertaining_ as you are."

Andie threw up her hands. "Glad to know I'm a source of amusement. Now if you don't mind, some of us are actually trying to do work here." She shooed him away, hands on her hips, meeting his eyes with a defiant stare.

He relented, coming towards her with his own hands held out in the universal gesture of surrender. "Wait, no, seriously, I didn't come here to laugh at you." At her incredulous look in response to this, he amended his statement. "Okay, so maybe I did…but that's not all I came here for! Look, I knew you might have some trouble coping with the stuff in class, so I thought you might want my help. You know, so you don't get shamed out in front of the entire class next time he asks you to improvise to something."

She gives him a level stare, pausing for a beat, before retorting "You can stay if you want to, but no way and under no circumstances are you to open your mouth…and I was _not_ humiliated." She glares at him, but both of them know that she's beaten, and Andie turns away before she can see him stifle his laughter, eyes twinkling. "Yes, m'am."

Back at the barre, she takes a moment to compose herself. God, if she screws up now, she'll never hear the end of it, she just knows it. In her head, she sends up a quick prayer (something along the lines of, "dear God, please let me not fall on my butt before the cutest guy in school"), arranges herself into first position, spins around and…

Falls, flat on her butt, right in front of him.

Before he can say anything, she gets up and points her finger at him. "Shut up, do not say a word." He shrugs, holding back his laughter. "Wasn't going to say anything, I swear. Except, am I allowed to offer advice?"

"As long as it doesn't involve any insults directed towards myself, then go ahead, shoot." She crosses her arms and waits for a barrage of taunts, or for him to whip out a secret camera and tell her the footage of her being a klutz is going to be all over the internet in an hour. At this point, it's the least she's expecting.

What she doesn't expect is for him to move closer to her, place his hands on her hips and lean down to whisper in her ear, "Your posture is all wrong, for one. You can't do the move if you don't start properly." His hands are warm and surprisingly gentle on her skin as they skim across her bare midriff, correcting key spots and lengthening the reach of her arms. When he's done with her posture he rests his hands back on her hips, his lips inches away from the side of her neck. "That's better", he breathes softly, barely making a sound. She's almost too afraid to look, afraid of what she will see, but somehow she lifts her head up and meets his eyes in the mirror, their intertwined reflections gazing back at them. Her lips are parted, just slightly, although she's fairly sure that she may have stopped breathing oh, about a lifetime ago. Her cheeks are warm, and inside her chest there's a small, insistent fluttering. Andie holds his gaze for a long, unbroken moment, and slowly, her eyes travel down to where his hands rest on her hips.

"You could let go, you know." In the silence of the dance studio her own voice sounds almost foreign to her, timid and unsteady, the same way she feels. He turns his head towards her, almost imperceptibly, the tip of his nose nuzzling the space just below her ear.

"I know," he exhales into her neck. The corners of his mouth are turned up again, except this time it's not a smug grin on his features, but a small, self-contented smile. She doesn't have to look in the mirror to know that there is a matching smile on her own features. They are both silent, for a short and impossibly beautiful moment.

He leaves his hands where they are, and for once in her life, Andie decides to keep her mouth shut.

FIN

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**A/N:**

So. This is the first fanfic I've written for Step Up 2, I saw the movie a couple of days ago and was completely inspired. Also the first fic I've written in a couple of years, so forgive the amateur-ness and short length. Concrit is welcome and also much needed. You know what to do :).

At this point, it's going to remain a one-shot, unless I:

1. get enough comments

2. get inspired for further chapters

Yep, that's pretty much it. Thanks for stopping by and let me know how you liked it!


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter Two**_

On pure instinct, she tilts her head towards his and closes her eyes, his hand moving gently to touch her cheek. Her mind is racing and her heart is keeping time, beating so loud within her chest she's almost surprised he can't hear it.

Then the door bangs open abruptly, startling them both, and Chase and Andie break apart guiltily. She's mortified at being caught so off-guard, ducking her head to hide her blushing cheeks under the pretence of tying her shoelace. The girl who's just walked in, whoever she is, looks almost as embarrassed as she feels. She is petite and slender, and quite pretty, with almond eyes and long black hair. Andie's heart sinks a little as Chase glances over at the other girl. His expression is unreadable, but from the way the girl is smiling at him, Andie can guess that they know each other well. Maybe even in a romantic sense, although this thought makes her feel slightly nauseous.

"Oh, Chase, I'm sorry. I didn't realise you were in here…I was hoping to get in some more practice." The girl glances at Andie quickly, an unfriendly look in her eyes before her gaze settles once more on Chase. Andie fidgets, shifting her weight from one foot to another, feeling awkward and unwanted. The girl folds her arms, adopting a false smile. She looks over at Andie again, and this time the question in her glare is unmistakeable. "So, who's the new girl and why haven't we been introduced yet?" She asks brightly, although her smile isn't quite as convincing.

Chase is silent for a while, as if he's searching for something to say. "Uh, Sophie, this is Andie, she just transferred here." He turns towards her, and somehow, when she looks into his eyes she thinks that he's trying to apologise. "Andie…this is Sophie. She's one of MSA's best dancers." _Okay, so she's a dancer too. That's just great._ Sophie looks Andie up and down, pointedly, taking in everything from her ratty sweatpants to the faded tank top, the expression on her face speaking volumes. Andie glares right back at her. No way is some snobby rich girl going to make her feel like she doesn't belong here. She has just as much right to be here as the next person, money or no money. Andie pastes a smile onto her face and sticks out her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Sophie" Andie says, lying through her teeth.

Sophie looks down at her hand and then back at Andie, but she makes no move to shake it. "Uh-huh. Yeah, it was great meeting you too. But if you don't mind," and she turned back towards Chase, smiling warmly at him, "Chase and I have got some practising to do for the fundraiser."

"Oh, we do? Since when, Sophie?" Chase leans back against the wall, crossing his arms.

Sophie is taken aback, but Andie can almost admire her composure as she once more smiles beatifically and puts her hand on his arm, gentle, cajoling. The only sign of her embarrassment is the slight pink tinge to her cheeks. "You know… the Pas de Deux Director Collins wanted us to perform? He's already started the choreography."

Chase looks like he's about to say something, but Andie doesn't want to hear any more. She's done standing here, looking like a fool while the two of them carry on talking as if she was invisible. Quickly, she turns to go, gathering up her bags and striding towards the door of the studio.

"Andie, wait!" She pretends not to hear Chase calling her and she speeds up, almost running out of the double doors in her hurry to get out of there. Andie walks so fast she doesn't realise she's left her phone until she's already half a metre away from the studio. "Shit!" She stands frozen, not knowing whether to go back for it or just continue walking. Before she can make a choice Chase comes running out of the dance studio, the phone in his hand. Andie sees him coming and makes a move to walk away, but Chase catches up to her and grabs hold of her hand. "Andie, wait, don't run."

With a sigh, she turns back to him and shakes loose her hand from his, reaching for her phone. To her supreme annoyance, Chase takes the phone and puts it behind his back, out of her reach. "Wait, would you just listen to me for a second?"

She folds her arms. "What do you want, Chase?"

"Listen, I'm sorry about Sophie. She's not really that rude normally…"

Andie glares at him, a heartbeat away from just leaving him there, her phone be damned. She doesn't think she can take standing here and listening to him defend Sophie. He sees her look and hastens to reply before she can run off again.

"Look, you have amazing potential and I think we should talk to my brother about putting you in the fundraiser."

"As what, Chase, the comedic relief for the intermission? It's obvious I'm never going to be a ballerina."

He steps closer to her, forcing her to look into his eyes. "No, not the comedic relief. I was thinking more of a duet. In the style that you auditioned in."

"With who, exactly? No one is going to want to take time out of their perfect little lives to practice with me, the MSA charity case."

He stands for a moment, silent. "Well, I'm offering."

She doesn't know what to say. Finally, she decides to take it as a joke, because if she took him at his word it would mean that he wasn't a total jerk, and she's still not ready to think he's a good person yet. "Okay, very funny, haha. Can I please just have my phone back?"

His answer is to hold the phone up beyond her reach, and she has no choice but to jump for it, leaping all over him in her attempts to grab her phone. He chuckles softly at her and places the phone on top of the lockers beside them, just above the top of her head. Before she can reach for it, he leans down and scoops her up, eliciting a gasp of surprise from her. Andie hits at his chest ineffectually. "Are you crazy? Put me down and give me my phone back!"

"Not until you promise to dance with me in the fundraiser."

Andie stares at him in amazement. "You just don't give up, do you?"

He shrugs. "I've been known to be persistent."

"Yeah, well there's another word for it…" she mutters under her breath. It's no use, however. She knows that he won't let her go until she agrees to his stupid idea. And it is stupid, because for one thing, Director Collins would never let any street dancing taint his precious fundraiser, and for another thing…well…the thought of her dancing with Chase Collins is too ludicrous for words. Isn't it?

She looks up at him. The grin on his face is a mile wide, and infectious-in spite of herself, Andie smiles, although she tries to hide it.

"I can't promise I'll do it, but I'll think about it. Now can you please put me down?"

Satisfied, he sets her down gently, and reaches up to get her phone for her. She's surprised to realise that she misses the feeling of his arms around her, but almost as soon as she thinks it Andie tries to push the thought out of her mind-because really, there is no way that anything could happen between them. Especially not with the way that Sophie is staring at them now, having come out of the studio to see what's taking Chase so long.

He hands the phone to her, oblivious of the death glares Sophie is sending them behind his back. Andie struggles not to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.

"Okay, you should probably go…your girlfriend looks like she's going to kill me."

Chase glances back to where Sophie is standing and motions for her to go inside the studio. "I'll be right there, Soph." She remains standing, waiting for him, and Chase heaves a sigh of annoyance. "I _said_, I'll be right there."

Andie watches Sophie turn on her heel and stalk huffily into the dance studio, slamming the door shut behind her. "Good luck with that," she says, keeping her tone light, trying not to let the jealousy seep into her voice.

"She's not my girlfriend, by the way. In case you were worried."

At this, Andie stifles the urge to grin hugely. After all, she doesn't want to look like a total dork in front of him. She shrugs her shoulders and starts walking backwards. "Who said I was worried?"

He smirks. "Right. Okay, so I'll see you for practice tomorrow?"

"Don't hold your breath", she calls back to him. He grins in response and gives her a salute before going back into the dance studio, and Andie starts walking to her next class.

It's ridiculous, of course. There is no way that he'd ever show up tomorrow, but for some reason Andie can't help but think, _maybe._

-FIN-

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**A/N:**

Thanks so much to everybody who reviewed! I've decided to continue on with this, because you all keep telling me to, haha.

P.S. More reviewsmore chapters, so get busy :D


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"I'm not so sure that this is a good idea, Chase. You know how I feel about street dancing." Blake leans forward, his hands interlocked on his desk. "It has no place in our fundraiser. It will disrupt the aesthetic of the entire show, and this fundraiser is at least important to me, if not to you."

"What do you think, Blake; I'm setting out to deliberately wreck the show? MSA is my school too, you know."

"So then why do you persist in trying to sell me on this? It will never work."

Chase clenches his hand into a fist. If he didn't need Blake on his side on this one, he would have punched him in the face already. It was so typical of his brother to refuse to allow anything that couldn't be labelled and set aside under his own category of "Appropriate Dance Forms". Even though they both had a love of dance to tie them, Chase had never understood Blake, and he knew that the feeling was mutual. In fact, when Chase was younger he had always told people he was an only child, because deep down he just couldn't believe that Blake was related to him. After all, how could two people from the same family be so different?

Chase sighs, forcing himself to calm down. He can't mess this one up, not after he had to work so hard to get Andie to agree to it in the first place. He smiles to himself at the memory of their conversation outside the dance studio, and then he realises Blake has started talking again.

"…I simply won't allow it. It would be suicide for the fundraiser! The investors aren't going to want to see people spinning on their heads, or back flipping from walls, or whatever it is you were planning to do."

Blake is silent for a moment, and Chase can tell he's coming to a conclusion about something.

"It's that West girl isn't it? She put this into your head, and now she's exploiting you to get me to let her ruin my fundraiser."

Chase stares at his brother, incredulous. "Blake, that's idiotic. It was my idea, and for your information, I had to convince her to do this with me. She would never intentionally do anything to jeopardise this school. Unlike you, she's actually a decent person."

Blake sighs. "I know you would prefer to think of me as the villain, Chase, but all I'm trying to do is look out for you and this school."

"Then you should let us perform! It would give me and the school great exposure; show the investors that we can do a range of styles."

Blake is unconvinced. "Give me one good reason why I should let you do this."

"Listen, Blake, Andie is one of the best dancers I've ever seen. If you don't let her perform in the fundraiser, you'd be making the biggest mistake of your life. Just give her a break. She deserves it."

Blake closes his eyes, thinking for a few minutes. Behind his back, Chase crosses his fingers.

"Okay, here's what we'll do. I'm going to give you two weeks from today to come up with your dance. Then you two can perform it for me, and I will decide if it is appropriate to put into the show."

Chase grins. It's not ideal, but it's better than nothing. "Thanks, Blake." He's all set to get out there and go tell Andie the good news, but Blake motions for him to stay put. He pauses, and his brother looks thoughtfully at him for a moment. "Chase…"

"What?"

"Don't get too attached to Andie. It's your senior year; you need to focus on your dancing."

Chase pauses at the door. "I know how important this year is. But can't I have a little fun along the way?"

"Just be careful."

Chase walks out into the chaos of the hallway, darting between students and waving hello to those he knows. As he walks to his next class, he shrugs off Blake's absurd warning. After all, he can't remember the last time Blake tried to offer him advice on women, of all things. And he is not about to start discussing his love life with his brother now. _Besides, Andie's just a friend, _Chase reminds himself. It's not like he wants it to be anything more. Right?

* * *

The shock on Moose's face is priceless. "Wait, let me get this straight. Chase Collins, Mr. Popular, personally asked _you_ to be his dance partner for the fundraiser?" His voice rises throughout the sentence until it squeaks on the last word, and two students passing by glance at him askance. Andie pulls him along through the crowd of people making their way home, her face burning.

"Could you be any louder? Geez, they could hear you in Ohio with that voice."

"Okay, okay. But aren't I allowed to be at least a little excited? You've been here less than two weeks, but you're already in with Chase. I'm impressed, dude."

Andie waves him off. "I'm not _in_ with him; I'm just…doing him a favour."

Moose gives her a look, and even from under his shaggy curtain of hair she can feel the disbelief radiating off of him. Andie laughs.

"It's true! All this was his idea. Believe me, if I had any choice, I would not be dancing up there for a bunch of rich snobs trying to get them to spend money on me. The whole concept seems just a little weird, don't you think?"

Moose still looks unconvinced. "Just promise me you won't do something stupid like fall in love with him."

Andie swats at him, catching the bill of his cap as he ducks. "Oh, please. Just because I'm going to be spending some practice time with him does not mean that I'm going to turn into Sophie. Besides, he's not my type."

Moose shrugs and adjusts his hat. "From what I've seen, Chase Collins is _everyone's_ type."

* * *

Chase walks out the door, another school day over. He's walking towards his car, parked at the back of the auditorium, when he spies a familiar shape pacing next to the bus stop sign. He jogs over to her.

"Andie!"

She turns at the sound of her name. "Hey…what are you doing here?"

"I've been looking all over for you. I talked to my brother, and he said we can do it. We can dance in the fundraiser." Excitement punctuates his sentence, making his words come out fast and slightly unintelligible.

"That's great, Chase."

He glances closer at her, noticing for the first time that her smile is a little forced. "Are you okay?"

She sighs. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just, I missed my stupid bus, and if I don't get home in time, Sarah's gonna kill me. I was supposed to look after Charlie this afternoon while she goes to her night job." She runs her hand through her hair, a sigh of exasperation escaping her lips. He can't help himself. It's almost an instinct; he wants to help her in whatever way he can.

"Well, I could give you a ride."

She gives him a look. "You'd do that? I'm sure it's completely out of your way…"

He shrugs, giving her a crooked grin. "Yeah, sure. Come on, my car's out back." He jerks his thumb in the direction where he's parked, motioning for her to follow. She hesitates slightly, torn between wanting to be closer to him, and maintaining her distance. Andie doesn't know why, but there's something about him that makes her think that even if she let go, just for a second, she would be falling forever. She can't keep a lid on her emotions when he's around her, and she doesn't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

"I could just wait for the next bus…"

He laughs. "Andie, come on. My car smells better than the bus, and I bet it goes faster, too. Trust me."

She caves. "Okay, okay. I'm coming. Thanks."

"There, was that so hard?" He teases her, and she punches him on the shoulder, lightly. He rubs his shoulder in mock pain, and then he reaches down for her gym bag at the same time she does. Involuntarily, their fingertips brush together for a brief moment and Andie immediately pulls back, blushing. "Sorry."

_Don't be, _he thinks to himself. But he doesn't say this aloud, because really, how could he? He's surprised he thought it in the first place. He resists the impulse to reach for her hand, which for some reason seems the most natural thing in the world to do right now, shoving both his own into his pockets instead.

"Don't worry about it," He finds himself saying. He falls into step with her, and the two of them make their way to his car, the afternoon sunlight glinting off the windows of MSA, throwing out long shadows behind them as they walk.

He glances behind them, just for a moment, to catch a glimpse of their shadows stretched out behind them, intertwined on the footpath.

**FIN**

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**A/N:**

I'm so sorry about the delay! I started this fic in the holidays, and then right between the second and third chapters school started up again, so I've had hardly any time to keep going with it. All I can do is apologise profusely for the wait, and thank everyone who commented the last chapter. I hope you enjoyed this one :). You know what to do now...


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